Chapter by Sam
Hickam Airfield, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Sunday, December 7, 1941
7:48 A.M.
It was a typical Sunday morning in Pearl Harbor.
The native birds were singing as the sun rose over the Oahu Mountains in the distance, the rays of light shining on the tarmac of the airfield...
And through the blinds on the Angel Squadron's barracks and into the still closed eyes of a sleeping russet-furred female, her hind-end, covered only by a pair of regulation army shorts, straight in the air as she unconsciously drooled on her pillow, her snores filling the barracks. Nearby, a cream-furred female was brought out of a deep sleep by her friend's snoring, her blue eyes looking at the sleeping she-wolf with great agitation.
Grabbing one of her pillows, Sergeant Sarah Gomez, or "Sweets" as her squadron-mates and friends called her, chucked the soft object at her friend's face, the impact actually having a bit for force from her killer right "cannon." With a loud grunt, Corporal Cassandra Malone, or simply Candy, jolted up-write, having to pull down her white under shirt which had ridden up her torso, briefly revealing a flat, but tight, midriff.
Soon, blue eyes met brown as Candy stared daggers at her friend.
"What the hell, Sweets?!" Candy exclaimed through a yawn, taking the opportunity to stretch her body, through her legs over the side of her bed.
"You interrupted my beauty sleep."
With a roll of her eyes, Sweets stood from her bed, revealing a trim body, also covered by shorts, but topped by a white blouse that was simply left on after a night of partying.
"Yeah?" Sweets retorted. "Well Sleeping Beauty snores like a wild hog."
Casting a less-than-amused glare at her friend, Candy, after a few moments, couldn't help but smile, the smile soon being returned by Sweets. Before long the two girls were laughing as they began to walk out of the sleeping quarter toward the rec room, where the rest of their Squadron were seated on comfortable couches and La-Z Boys, dressed comfortably in their civies, or civilian clothing, eating breakfasting.
Upon hearing the last pairs of feet walking into the room, Lieutenant Colonel Eve Maverick, or "Mama Bear" as they called her, cast a playful smile at the two youngest members to be assigned to her squadron.
"Glad you could join use girls," she playfully chided from her La-Z Boy. The remaining squadron chuckled at their leader's little quip, the merriment soon dying down as teh two late arrivals grabbed their breakfast and joined them.
U.S.S. Arizona, Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
7:55 A.M.
Commander James "Hutch" Hutchinson, clad in a black, double-breasted Navy uniform, watched as chairs were set out on the Arizona's deck for Sunday Service, his slicked-back hair covered by a standard officer's cap as he watched his men hard at work. But, his mind was currently on something else.
Or rather someone...his beautiful girlfriend in the Angel Squadron.
Captain Terra "Princess" Ramirez.
"Hey Hutch," a voice called, pulling the officer from his musings and causing the black-furred wolf to turn his yellow eyes toward a short-built grey wolf, clad in a white sailor's uniform, his friend, Ensign Carlos "Candu" Gonzales.
"What is it Candu?" Hutch called with a sign, a tired smile on his face as he wondered what his friend was going to complain about now.
"I was just wondering," Candu began, "why I have to be on Church duty when I don't believe in God."
Hutch, shaking his head with a chuckle, looked down at Candu he answered.
"Because you are a good sailor who follows orders Candu," Hutch responded, and to his relief, earning a soft chuckle from Candu as the short wolf resumed his duties.
Meanwhile, on the deck of one of the Arizona's command platforms, set atop a tripod mast, grey-furred Seaman Alexander "Salty" O'Connor was mopping the deck alongside two other seamen, when all of a sudden, he heard the unmistakable sound of fighter engines in the sky.
Confused as to why the Navy would be having exercises on a Sunday, Salty cast his yellow eyes up, only for them to widen in horror as he saw several planes, each bearing the "Rising Sun" on their wings and fuselages, opening firing on the currently unarmed ships as explosions from bombs and torpedoes tore them apart. Salty actually had to duck before a round could go through his skull.
Back on deck, Hutch and Candu had just enough time to react before being gunned down. Unfortunately, some other sailors were not so fortunate, some being killed instantly or severely wounded.
"GET THE WOUNDED BELOW DECK!" Hutch ordered as he pulled a shell-shocked Candu to his feet. Within minutes, they making their way up stairways.
"When need to get to the bridge," Hutch told Candu, who could only watch in abstract horror as ships where being torn apart.
"I didn't know the Japs where sore at us," Candu said over the chaos.
"Where the hell have you been?" Hutch rhetorically asked.
Meanwhile, about two miles off the coast of Oahu, a trio of F4U Corsairs, launched from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise, were en-route for Pearl.
This was a small part of the famous navy squadron, Rogue Squadron, under the commander of Lt. Colonel Jaime "King" Ramirez. In the distance, the dark grey-furred wolf could make out puff's of black smoke in the air, which he instantly recognized as anti-air flack.
"Looks like someone got into the ammo, King," the cream-furred Captain Samuel "Buckeye" Davis, though every one just called him Sam or Uncle Sam, called over the com, the Ohio native letting out a chuckle at the response from his wing-man Sergeant George "Hench" Mahony.
"It's gonna be hell to pay," the brown-furred wolf's thick Brooklyn accent laughed. But soon, the revelry quickly subsided as the group soon came under fire by a squadron of Japanese Zeros.
"FUCKING CHRIST!" King yelled as he banked right to avoid a head-on collision with one of the Zeros.
"Are those Jap planes?" Sam inquired, his eyes wide from what had just transpired. King, now realizing what the flack was, began issuing orders.
"ALRIGHT BOYS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE JAPS WANT A FIGHT...
LET'S GIVE 'EM ONE!
ROGUE TWO...BREAK RADIO SILENCE WITH ENTERPRISE!"
"COPY ROGUE LEADER!" Sam called before speaking into his radio.
"Rogue Two to Enterprise, Rogue Two to Enterprise...Keep Your Distance...Pearl is under attack...I repeat Pearl is under attack...This is no shit!"
And as soon as the message had been relayed, Sam dove in to join the dogfight.
Back on the Arizona, Hutch and Candu had made it to one of the gunner decks, anti-aircraft guns firing at the fighters and dive-bombers pummeling the harbor with ordnance.
"Come on Candu!" Hutch called, only to turn and and see Candu's gaze skyward, eyes, wide with horror, trailing downward. Hutch turned just in time to see a bomb punch through the wooden deck, into the...
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Hutch yelled, pulling Candu to cover as massive explosion from one of the ship's ammo lockers rocked the ship, buckling the hall as it was briefly lifted part-way out of the water, flames and shrapnel going everywhere.
Meanwhile, back at Hickam...
"THE JAPS ARE BOMBING US, THE JAPS ARE BOMBING US! GET UP, GET UP!"
The voice of Captain Garth "Macho" Reynolds of Alpha Squadron startled the girls, especially is girlfriend and Eve's youngest daughter,
Second Lieutenant Lilly "Snowball" Maverick, who, after a moment to recover from the shock, quickly ran with the others to the barrack's ammo locker, grabbing all the ammo and firepower they could, from 50 Calibers, to M1911s, to Tommy guns, to M1s.
Within a few minutes, the girls were running out the building with Alpha Squadron, lead by their leader and Garth's Father, Colonel Tony "Mad Dog" Reynolds.
Across the field, running across the tarmac from their barracks came Omega Squadron, lead by Eve's Husband, Lt. Colonel Winston "Papa Bear" Maverick, followed closely behind by his second, Captain Humphrey "Howler" Williams, who was also the fiance of Angel Squadron's First lieutenant and Eve and Winston's eldest daughter,
Kate "Hot Shot" Maverick.
Just as the three squadrons convened outside of Angel Squadron's barracks, Sergeant Nars "Snake Shit" Fleetwood of Alpha Squadron looked tot the sky upon hearing a terrifying sound.
"ZEROS INBOUND!" he yelled, quickly aiming his Tommy Gun at the fast approaching aircraft, the other's following suit as they opened fire.
Unfortunately, it did little good, for as soon as the Zeros were right on top of them, they began strafing the tarmac, taking the lives of handful of other pilots that had come out to join the defense.
"We need to get airborne!" called Major Crystal "Claws" Santiago, earning calls and nods of agreement.
But in instant, it appeared that there was no need, as an Aichi Dive Bomber was shot to pieces by two P-40s, the cockpits manned by two pilots the group recognized as Second Lieutenants George Welch and Kenneth Taylor, the two now making their way in the direction of Battle Ship Row.
"GIVE EM HELL BOYS!" Lilly cried with glee, earning a round of laughs and cheers from the others, only for the excitement to quickly die as they were once again forced to take cover from anther barrage from incoming Zeros.
But, over the next hour, with combined efforts of other grounded pilots, the Squadrons at Hickam managed to hold their ground until the attack ceased, eve though a vast majority of American air power in the Pacific was ripped to shreds.
Meanwhile, back at Battleship Row, the ships where taking a hell of a beating.
The West Virginia was already sunk in the harbor.
The Oklahoma was in the process of capsizing, trapping hundreds of men inside.
The Nevada was forced to run aground after attempting to flee to open water.
But, the Arizona had taken the worst hit of them all, the hull groaning as the ship began to sink into the harbor.
Pulling himself up off the wood deck, Candu grabbed onto the metal handrail, only to find out the hard way that the the blast had heated it exponentially, singeing the fur and searing the palms of his hands.
"WE NEED TO JUMP!"
"GO IN THAT WATER YOUR DEAD!"
Candu turned to Hutch as the later berated Salty for making the suggestion, his attention quickly turning to the water below, which was ablaze from the oil that had spilled from the ship.
"THROW US A LINE!" Candu heard Hutch call to a seaman, Ensign Andrew "Shakey" McKenna on the nearby repair ship U.S.S. Vestal. In a matter of seconds, Hutch had managed to tie a line thrown from the Vestal to one of the Arizona's capstans. Before long, Hutch was overseeing the evacuation of the men close by, Candu finding himself as the last.
"Alright Candu," Hutch called, only from Candu to shrink away in fear, tears staining his cheeks as he held out his hands.
"I can't" he cried, showing Hutch his scorched palms, "my hands..."
Grabbing Candu by his collar, Hutch forced him to look into his eyes.
"YOU WANNA LIVE?! GET OVER THAT LINE!"
With great reluctance, Candu complied, only managing to reach the Vestal with the help of Salty and Shakey as the line snapped from the intense heat of the flames...
And the last thing he heard before passing out from pain and fear, was Hutch's screams as the flame's reached the deck upon which he stood as the Arizona sank deeper into the Harbor.
In the end, all eight battleships at Pearl were either sunk or damaged...
The Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Arizona would never see action again.
Back with Rogue Squadron, the group was still reeling from their horrifying encounter. But, luckily, their were no causalities, only some minor damage to their planes. One round from a Zero missed Sam's head by inches before going straight through the plane's compass.
Before long, the squadron did a fly over of Battleship Row, their hearts sinking faster than the ships in the harbor. King and Sam felt particularly pained when they saw the Arizona.
"King, Sam," Hench called over the radio, "you guys know anyone on the Arizona?"
"Yeah," Sam responded after a minute, "Commander Jim Hutchinson...Hutch and I go back to the Academy."
"He's also dating my daughter," King added in, before falling silent as the group made their way to their intended destination...
Hickam.
After being greeted at Hickam, Sam excused himself to head toward the hospital, curious to see if Hutch had somehow managed to survive.
Once he arrived, he could see trucks filled with corpses, the stench of smoke and blood heavy in the air. Walking into the hospital itself, Sam began asking about Hutch.
"Are there any distinguishing characteristics," a doctor had asked, "tattoos, jewelry...?"
In instant, Sam was hit with an idea. bringing up his left hand, he presented on brass ring on the fourth finger. On it were the words,
United States Naval Academy,
Class of 1940.
"He would have be wearing this," he answered, "our class ring from the Academy."
At that moment, the doctor took on a solemn look as he silently began to lead Sam to a room lined with what could only be bodies covered in white sheets.
And when he stopped at one in particular, Sam felt his heart beating faster as the doctor leaned down to lift the sheet past the neck, revealing Hutch, the left half of his face charred beyond recognition. Nearby were personal items that had been recovered from his body, including...
his class ring.
Sam fought back tears as he looked at the face of his friend.
Hew as even more pained at the thought of Terra hearing the news.
That night, at a local bar, Rogue and Angel Squadron held a private service for Hutch, raising there shot glasses as a salute, one being one full beside a picture of Hutch. Sam even found himself helping King and the rest of Angel Squadron to comfort a heartbroken Terra, her cheeks stained with tears as she wept into Eve's chest, embraced from both sides by her "Mama Bear" and father.
The next day, the flash came in over the radio from President Roosevelt.
"Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives: YESTERDAY, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan...because of this unprovoked attack, I am asking that Congress declare state of WAR!"
At that moment, America was at war with Japan.
Three days later, Germany declared war on America.
And by January, the Mavericks and Reynolds received disheartening news;
The Alpha and Omega Squadrons had been reassigned to Europe.
The White House, Washington D.C.
10 January, 1942
President Roosevelt sat reclined in his comfortable sofa, one of his polio-stricken legs propped on the cushions as he reviewed several military reports from the European and Pacific Theaters. Since the United States had entered the war, the President's light grey fur was becoming much greyer from the stress of the past month.
The President, upon hearing footsteps approach, turned his bespectacled eyes upwards to see the approaching forms of two men he greatly admired as they were two of the best pilots in the U.S. Military as a whole;
Lieutenant Colonel "King" Ramirez and Captain Samuel Davis of the Enterprise's Rogue Squadron, both dressed in smart black, gold buttoned navy uniforms, caps tucked beneath their arms.
"Mr. President," King began after he and Sam offered a salute which was waved away.
"Sir," Sam began, "we think we may have an idea on how to bomb the Japanese."
Roosevelt knew what they were talking about.
Since Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt pressed his top Military advisors to come up with a plan to bomb the Japanese as soon as possible. The subsequent raid would deal a great blow to Japanese morale, while at the same time boosting American.
"Sir," King added in, pulling the President from his thoughts, "it's risky, but it's bold."
Looking pats the two men, Roosevelt, for the first time, noticed a third navy officer.
"Who are you?" he called, causing the brown-furred officer to stand at attention.
"Captain Low, Mr. President."
"He's Assistant Chief of Staff of Anti-Submarine Warfare," King clarified, "he came up with this strategy."
"I like sub-commanders," Roosevelt said with a smile, "they don;t have time for bullshit...and neither do I."
And so, the planning for one of the most daring operations in the Pacific Theater began.
The Doolittle Raid.
"Oh hear us when we cry to thee, For Those In Peril On the Sea."
Eternal Father, Strong To Save (The Navy hymn)